Israel: A Settler Colonialist State. The process of state-building of Israel analysed through Settler Colonialism Studies

Abstract

This dissertation argues that although Israel is considered by most of the International Community a democratic state, well integrated in the idea of a ‘normal Western society’, there is a concrete contradiction in it. Through the theories of Settler Colonialism, I will analyse the occupation of Palestine by Israel as a settler colonial project. Following the ideology of the Zionist movement, since the early beginning to the radicalization of it, I will focus on the meaning of land as a ‘terra nullius’ for the Jewish settlers and the justification of the occupation through the primordial sense of belonging to the Promised Land, Eretz Yisrael. I will analyse the Israeli/Palestine case under the years of the British Mandate 1920-1948 underlining the typical traits of settler colonialist society present in it. Moreover, I will reflect on the logic of settler colonialist society under a coloniser Empire such Britain, and the use of it by the former. The radicalization of the Zionist movement had a great impact on the birth of Israel and it will cover a great part of the discussion. The aim of this dissertation is to support the idea of settler colonialism theories that see Israel as a coloniser society towards the Palestinians. I will try to show Israel not anymore as a deserved land for the victims of the history, but I will underline its aggressive nature in this specific dispute.